5 Things To Know Before You Start An Ecommerce Business

5 Things To Know Before You Start An Ecommerce Business

How To Create A Culture Of Content Creation In YOUR Business

The content creation dream versus reality

You may have a great business model and a beautifully designed website, but what about the content within that site? Does it 'speak' to existing and potential customers? Does it represent what you do? Is it engaging and well written? Browse a range of websites within any industry and you will see that good content is hard to come by. What's even harder to come by is the ability to not only write great content but to use it effectively.

The content creation dream is to produce engaging well-written content on a regular basis. This content can then be regularly posted to your blog, and ideally, these will be shared through social media to improve your reach. In addition, you will also need to design or obtain great images to accompany your content. The idea is to post content to all social media accounts on a regular basis, with the ability to respond to people within seconds. Your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn accounts could be buzzing with posts, shares and engaging responses.

Unfortunately, the reality is very different. You may find that you are among the thousands of companies who write blogs 'on the hop' when they remember or can grab five minutes to quickly write something that is just 'OK'. The likelihood is that you have an image free social media presence and that the latest feed is days, weeks or even months out of date.

So how do you bridge that gap between the dream and the reality? It may sound impossible but it can be done. You just need the know-how, support, and enthusiasm.

1 - Invest in content providers

Anyone can write content, but what about great content that engages your audience? That takes skill, experience, tenacity, and enthusiasm. Many businesses have turned to graduates or those looking for a bit of work on the side. Some even employ freelancers working on sites such as Fiverr where for as little as £5 you can get a whole range of content written for you. However, you might already know through trial and error that you not only end up with below par content, but you also send the wrong message to your those you are either working for or working with - that good content isn't a priority.

We believe that you need to get just one great content creator on board to work with you to provide great copy. Not only that, but they can delegate to other members of staff for smaller projects where in-depth knowledge of the business is key. By having someone who works on your team regularly you can ensure that there is a level of content quality control.

When employing a qualified content creator, you should ensure that they are familiar with your industry, as well as that of any clients you work with. It's essential that they can write intelligently about certain industries and specialist subjects.

By getting someone on board who you trust to provide content, you will add value to your business, improve your revenue and enhance your reputation.

If you are a small business without the budget to stretch to someone solely responsible for the content you should look at your existing team and use their industry know-how to enable them to work with a more generalized copywriter on an ad-hoc basis.

2. Every employee should try to produce content

However large or small your company, you should be mobilizing all of your employees so that they are able to create content for you.

By creating a culture of content within your company, concentrating on ensuring that your staff members regularly contribute content, you will build up a solid portfolio that can be used when presenting your skills to potential clients.

Remind your employees that not only are they diversifying their role, but they can also get their name attributed to published content. This not only boosts confidence, but it also makes people proud of their achievements, offers another level of job satisfaction and so encourages them to write or create even more content.

In asking your employees to be content creators, remind them that by being a published author they will have opportunities in the future with other high profile companies or publications.

3. Ensure that every employee WANTS to produce content

If you have allocated content creation to your existing employees, how do you ensure that this is a part of their role that they will value?

We recommend that you reward your authors, ensuring that any content that is written and published is attributed to them and that your clients are aware of who produced their content.

Make sure that you highlight their achievements within your team, in an email, or even in company meetings. Highlight the opportunities that were generated and the client feedback.

You could even create a friendly, competitive spirit in the workplace by seeing who can create the most socially shared content, or by monitoring leads generated from topic-specific posts. As a leader, you need to set an example and create content yourself. Ensure that you produce great content that is relevant and engaging.

4. Enable and train your employees

It's up to you to give your employees the confidence to produce content. You might have employees that want to create content, but because it's something they are new to they might not have the confidence. In this case, it's up to you to change this.

Remember, different people are good at different things. Content creation shouldn't just be limited to those in marketing roles. Anyone who is competent enough to work for you should be capable of producing content. It doesn't matter if they are in sales, customer services, accounts, marketing or HR; everyone in your organization already produces written content relevant to their own specific role, whether it's emails, memos, proposals or presentations. These people can just as easily produce great content for you - but with a twist, as they can offer their own unique perspective as a different buyer persona.

In order to make everyone feel able to produce content, come up with some guidelines so that you have clear and precise publishing standards. This can be a simple 'how-to' guide with information on tone, structure, acceptable messages, key phrases and so on, as this will ensure that their content is in keeping with your publishing standards. If you do have content creators with specific roles, they might be able to hold training sessions, and they can also take any content produced and amend it to the existing publishing standards that have been set.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andy_Phillips/214259

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5 Reasons Why Online Groups Are Important for Business Growth

If you really want to learn more about your audience, find more people to promote your products, and get new ideas for more offers, groups are one of your best investments outside of email marketing.

Nurturing groups is inexpensive and can really help you accomplish a lot. Look at these important ways that groups help your business grow and you'll know it's the right thing to add to your marketing efforts.

1. Conduct Audience Research

Groups are an effective and fun way to conduct audience research. You can use your own group that you build with your target audience, customers, and prospects, or you can use other people's groups which consist of an audience like your own. You can be stealthy and just observe and learn, or you can ask questions, submit surveys, or invite them to group chats to discuss issues related to your niche.

2. Experience Higher Engagement Opportunities

Groups are an easy way to engage with your audience because they come to the group for conversation and learning. Therefore, it's a way to have a conversation, conduct a poll, share pictures, and talk to your audience in a more casual way. Email is great for sending messages, but sometimes it's not conducive to a real discussion in the way a group is.

3. Increase Brand Credibility

Having a group that your customers come to where they speak to your prospects is a great way to increase brand credibility. People who don't know you very well yet will see the people who have purchased from you and who are happy talking in the group, and that will increase your credibility in a lot of ways - more than one-way emails.

4. It's Inexpensive

The wonderful thing about having a group online today is that it's very inexpensive. You can start groups free on Facebook. You can start groups on platforms like Delphiforums.com, Ning.com, and others without much money too. But they pay off in big ways once you build them up, as long as you contribute often and engage with the audience.

5. Find Joint Venture Partners

Groups are excellent places to find your next JV partner. When you are a participant in a group that has a lot of other people who market complementary products to your audience, you may find someone who is perfect to work on your next idea together. Ideally, that will be someone who can contribute something you cannot and vice versa.

Facebook groups can generate leads, build your email list, give you access to more prospects and sell your products and services. But if you do it the wrong way it can lead to lasting damage to your reputation and brand. However, doing it the right way ensures that you have the best possible chance for business success. Get your free Facebook Group Checklist at http://jonallo.com/facebook-groups/

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Allo/1079948

Facebook Groups for Business 👉 (27 Hacks and Tips)

How To Connect With Big Names On LinkedIn To Boost Your Business

Boosting your business can be done in many different ways on social media, from advertising to joining groups and contributing, and from targeting a specific audience to trying to catch some big names.

Here are some of the things that you should bear in mind when trying to link with big names on LinkedIn.

Build Up a Base For Your Business First

You can't join LinkedIn on behalf of your business and instantly start trying to connect with the big names and famous people. You can try, but you're unlikely to get very far, and LinkedIn may even try to stop you from connecting with anybody else.

You should spend at least the first few weeks and months building up a supporter and customer base from regular members of the public and other LinkedIn users. The more your brand is recognized, the more likely you are to be successful with the big names.

Find People With Common Interests

You can try to target whoever you like on LinkedIn, but remember that those most likely to reply and engage with you are those which already have an interest in your industry or niche.

For example, if your business relates to new ways of dealing with waste and pollution, look out for big-name activists or politicians who have been heavily involved in these issues.

If you can't find anything in common with somebody on LinkedIn, ask yourself what the value in connecting with them is really going to be. By finding the common interests, you will be able to appeal to them more effectively, increasing the chance of a meaningful connection and future contact.

Take The Time To Make It Personal

It's a well-known fact among those who regularly correspond with big names that if you don't make it personal, it's unlikely that you will get a reply. If you haven't bothered to put any extra effort into writing to them, why should they be bothered to reply and get involved with your ask?

Take a few minutes to research the person beforehand. This enables you to include a couple of relevant details that would be of interest to them or act as a memorable reminder of who you are.

You should also remember or be aware that famous people and well-known industry leaders on LinkedIn receive hundreds of requests to connect, and only connect with completely new requests when they can see a real benefit or something or someone that really interests them.

Whether you're marketing directly to consumers or to other business professionals, LinkedIn can help your business. To get the most out of this potentially game-changing social media site, you need to know how to market "the right way". To learn more on how to expand your circle of influence, grow your business and improve sales and profits download my free LinkedIn Marketing Guide at https://jonallo.com/linkedin

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Allo/1079948

Learn How To Build A Business Plan And Create Your First Product For Your Online Business

Most Internet Marketers fail online because they do not know where their business is going or how they are going to get there (to whatever their endpoint goal is - usually making money online). Many newbie Internet Marketers may experience a little success at first, but eventually, they will fail. They will fail because they do not have or use a solid business plan in the development of their online business. Most people just starting out in Internet Marketing treat this business as a "hobby." It is something they do in their spare time.

Most of these online entrepreneurs run after the hype and eventually close down their online business. This is almost always due to the lack of sales. They thought it would be "easy" to get sales online. The ideas behind these websites were great, but the people who conceived the idea failed to see the potential of the business venture.

To build a solid online business you need to think like a business owner. You are only going to turn your creativity into money by using the resources that are available to you. Whenever you are faced with a challenge in your online business, you should devote time to plan and analyze a strategy to overcome the challenge and succeed. 90% of the people who are investing in business ventures do not do this - and it leads to their failure!

One way I found that will help you plan the content for your website is by using what is called a "10x10 matrix."

10x10 matrix

Open up a new excel file and brainstorm 10 things that you are passionate about. Write these 10 things in the first row - going across the top. These things would be the ones you would do for free and enjoy doing it. Your day job may be that of an office manager but you love vintage cars. Over the years you have learned a lot about vintage cars through magazines, videos, and real-life experiences. People come to you and ask for your advice on the subject of vintage cars. You really know a lot about vintage cars and you could talk nonstop for hours if provided the opportunity. You may know how to buy vintage cars and you are able to advise others on what vintage cars to choose that will suit their style.

Or you may be an avid golfer. If that is the case, then you need to write down 10 things that you can teach others on how to improve their golf game under the cell "golf."

These things should be short like "warming up"; "driving range" (start with the wedge and move backward to the driver, with 10 shots each); there is the "sand bunker practice"; there is "chipping", there is "putting"; there is staying cool in hot environments, etc.

Write 10 things UNDER each main subject you wrote in the cells on the first row at the top. Some categories may not have 10 things you can think of and some may have more than 10.

Now that you have brainstormed a lot of potential topics, you need to see if these topics are being used in search engines on the Internet. You do not want to create content that no one reads about!

You can use Google keyword planner to see the list of related keywords in your niche. You can also see the amount the advertisers are paying for a particular keyword.

If you are creating a blog with the articles related to the keywords, you can use Ad-sense ads in your articles. This will allow you the possibility to make money from each blog post! You will need to build a website to do that (and that requires a small financial investment as well).

Use each sub-category to write an article and post that article to your blog site. Combine all of the sub-categories that you have turned into articles into an e-book that you can offer for sale or use it in a Give Away to build your email list. The possibilities are endless!

If you are not good at writing articles but you enjoy creating videos - use video blogging! You can create a YouTube channel and upload your videos to this channel. You can directly monetize your videos on YouTube. Once you have sufficient subscribers, you can ask for donations or provide premium content for a fee on your channel.

If you like to write articles then you can create an e-Book containing premium content and sell it on your website. I would recommend you use a merchant account from Click-Bank. Click-Bank is an online retail outlet that showcases over 10,000 digital products from vendors around the globe. More than 100,000 active affiliates promote the products of the vendors for commissions.

It is possible that you could receive a lot of sales within a short span of time. To do this, you need to encourage your affiliates to promote your product by providing them various promotional materials that they can use that are related to your product.

Remember to make your business scalable because you will get a lot of customers who are willing to buy more products from you in the future. So you will be building your list while making money! The best of both worlds!

You can even create Joint Ventures with some of the other marketers and make even more money selling your products in the future. Joint Ventures take many forms, such as Give Away events or just emailing a promotion from your JV partner to your list and they mail their list about your product.

You should always create a business plan based on facts and figures. You need to track and modify your campaigns continuously to stay ahead in this very fluid and very competitive business. Do not treat this as a hobby or you will only have a hobby. You can only have a business if you treat this "as a business."

You can receive additional information from my blog located at http://www.bobthibodeau.com I post several articles there each month that will help you to establish and grow your Internet business quickly (and cheaply)! Although I cannot guarantee you I have the answers to all of your problems, I have been "around the block" a few times and probably have experienced what you are going through. Come over to my blog and look around, leave a comment or ask a question.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Thibodeau/2198393

Yes, Blogging Can Help Your Business

Blogging can help your business in a number of ways. Every business needs to showcase its products. Every service provider needs to prove their services are worth paying for.

A website will market your products and services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. A blog, either on its own or as part of your website, can demonstrate that you are an authority in your niche or industry who really knows what you are talking about, or that you have the skills and experience to create quality products.

Content Is King

Content is the main driver of successful marketing these days. The words on the page help your target audience find you. Whether they are using a search engine like Google, or a social site like Facebook or Twitter, your audience will use keywords to find you - and that means written content in all forms. This includes your video titles and descriptions, image names, and more.

Free Traffic

Search engines and social media provide free traffic. Great content on your blog will give them a reason to stay and to look around to see all you have to offer.

Blogging Can Encourage Engagement

If you allow people to comment on your posts, your blog can soon become a hive of activity.

An Invaluable Resource

Chances are if you have been working in your niche or industry for any length of time, you probably have a wealth of content to draw on. This can help your blog become a resource that people interested in your niche will visit over and over again. This also means links to your site and sharing content from your site. It also means getting guest bloggers to contribute, to add even more content, and hopefully encourage their own followers to visit your site.

A Way to Build Relationships

People do business with people they like. A blog can help visitors feel they know you. With any luck, they will start to follow you because they enjoy your take on the topic.

Your Blog Posts Are Free Samples

If you plan to sell any kind of information product at all, your blog post will give a clear idea of the quality your customers can expect.

Blogging Software Goes Beyond a Regular Website

If you use blogging software such as WordPress, you will have access to thousands of free mini-programs called plugins. They add functionality to a site and/or change its appearance and type of site completely.

Blogging is ideal for traffic, lead generation, and sales. If you want to show you're in the know, you need a blog.

Are you are ready to be a better blogger? Discover 21 different one-a-day tasks and activities for getting more traffic, more prospects, more customers and more sales. Download my free checklist, 21 Days To A Better Blog, at https://jonallo.com/better-blog

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_Allo/1079948

5 Top Video Marketing Tips You Cannot Afford To Ignore

Are you deploying online video for marketing purposes? If not, then you should know that visual clips trump all other forms of online communication. Let us explore 5 top tips that you need to follow in order to succeed in this ever-growing online marketing segment.

1 - Visuals and Animated Clips Are Simply More Effective

If you have heard that the use of video clips for SEO and promotional purposes is the latest trend, then you have heard correctly! Streaming and generally animated content is the most effective marketing strategy when it comes to reaching your potential customers and creating an unforgettable impression.

A question might arise as to how a video marketing strategy can really increase organizational visibility and draw in more customers. If you are already in business, you most likely have the initial tools right at your fingertips.

2 - Video Is Far More Effective Than Pictures

We have all heard the expression, "a picture speaks a thousand words". So why use a photograph when we can now use video? Creating an online video clip for advertising purposes will always be a more dramatic marketing strategy when compared to articles and pictures.

The likelihood is that your video will leave a memorable image in your potential customer's mind. At the same time, it also sets yourself apart from your competition. Research has shown that short clips that are created for marketing purposes are more likely to be retained in one's memory. In addition, they are remembered far longer than descriptive writing or audio segments.

3 - They Convey More Information Than Articles

As opposed to merely reading about the benefits of your products or services, your visuals will be able to dramatically communicate this information. Customers will also be able to hear the enthusiasm in your commentary. To make this point, you probably have heard the following expression associated with this particular advertisement even though it was ten years ago.

This refers to the phrase "set it and forget it". It was used in a marketing clip created a good few years ago, but still relevant in modern-day marketing. The commentator continuously repeated the expression at various points during the presentation. This is an excellent example of how effective video marketing can be.

4 - Video Engages Your Site Visitors

As indicated, if you are already in business, no doubt you have an email contact list. Therefore, one of your daily functions revolves around emailing various individuals. With regards to your customers, you are most likely providing them with information pertaining to special deals, new products or services. What this means is that you now have the ability to send video emails as opposed to written ones.

Traditional platforms such as Outlook Express do not have the ability to fully accommodate online video. However, there are other relatively new business and advertising platforms that can and offers a phenomenal capability to interact with your customers and prospects.

5 - It Can Directly Increase Your Sales

Using active online imagery as part of your overall marketing strategy dramatically enhances the possibility of increased sales and your general success. Your product brand and promotional communication are far more likely to remain in your potential customer's mind's eye through clips or video streaming.

In addition, using visual imagery on your website and sending out video emails will prove to be the most direct and cost-efficient method to reach your market when compared to other marketing strategies.

Video marketing as a promotional platform is rapidly gaining momentum in the business arena and you now have the opportunity to implement your very own effective online campaign.

Still looking for a reputable source of Video Marketing Ideas [https://onlinevideoexperts.com]?. Stop being misled by online crooks who know nothing about Video Marketing Strategies. Simply go to [https://onlinevideoexperts.com]. This site will give you proven Video Marketing Tips to drive more visitors to your websites and boost your income.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Gerard_Mohamed/209579

70 Minutes of Social Media Strategy for Every Business in 2020 | Inside 4Ds